Lead with Mindful Engagement

I’ve always been the kind of person who continually looks for ways to improve. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of research on leadership and how to implement more strategies to lead better. In my searches, I came across Sue Ashford from the University of Michigan, who has coined the term Mindful Engagement. It’s a form of leadership that we can all use in every area of our life.

Often leadership is talked about in business or in sports, rarely is it talked about in families, relationships, and in our own individual life. I believe in leading in as many areas of your life as possible, which is why I love this style of leadership. It is a process that can be applied anywhere. The process is simple and profound. It begins with your approach, then asks you to take certain actions, ask for feedback, and finally incorporate everything you learned. Continue that cycle and watch your life improve, your relationships get better, and more!

Mindful Engagement process is as follows:

Approach

The way you approach a situation, conversation, project, or anything, essentially changes what the outcome is. If you blindly act in your life, you may not get the most of out your actions. In Mindful Engagement, Ashford, suggests that we begin everything with a learning mindset. The more we are willing to learn from our experiences, the more we will actually learn. She also recommends we set learning goals. A learning goal is simply learning to be a better leader by learning or practicing the aspects of leadership and development, such as sharing more of your authentic self.

Action

The second step in the process is to take action and ask for feedback. Ashford notes that doing active experimentation is important. Active experimentation, to me, is a way to change your approach. If something isn’t working, change your approach, take an active measure and experiement with different options. Then you must seek feedback. If we’re unwilling to receive feedback we will always hold ourselves back as leaders. Be willing to receive feedback that doesn’t feel good. What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t get someone’s approval? So, what?! The best that could happen is that you learn about yourself and you use your new learning to help others, which is one true sign of a leader.

Reflection

The final step in the Mindful Engagement process is reflection. It’s when we examine the situation and learn the most from it. We look at the cause and effect, then figure out what lessons we learned and finally assimulate those lessons into our life. This is when our examination helps us to become better people.

While the process Ashford lays out may seem simple, it is by no means easy. It takes courage and relentless self examination. It takes being willing to be critiqued and staying humble. All things that you would expect from a great leader. Are you ready? I’m going to do my best and I hope you join me.

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Ted McDonald is a yoga teacher, fitness trainer, endurance athlete, entrepreneur, avid traveler and philanthropist. A former Elite Adventure Racer and a Lacrosse player at UCLA, he has been an athlete his entire life. He began teaching yoga and meditation over a decade ago and continues to compete in marathons and triathlons. Educated in both Iyengar and Ashtanga styles of yoga, he focuses his yoga sessions on strength, alignment and the breath, in order to help students increase their flexibility, strength and focus. He teaches many forms of meditation and a yin or restorative yoga class specifically designed to lengthen connective tissue, prevent injuries and open energetic pathways in the body. He is the founder of Adventure Yoga Retreats, a company that organizes premium travel adventures that enrich lives and inspire people to perform at their highest level. His versatility and knowledge allows him to successfully tailor his teaching and retreats to a diverse audience, including athletes, business professionals, yoga teachers, as well as beginning students. He owns 5 Point Yoga, two premiere yoga and fitness studios in Malibu, California. Ted co-created and is featured in Tony Horton’s p90x:2 yoga sequence as well as Tony’s yoga “expert” for his one-on-one video series. He is a long time lululemon ambassador and is the designated yoga teacher for the Tour de France winning professional cycling BMC Racing Team. And most recently Ted’s Yoga bootcamp video series for ExerciseTV was released with great success.